Combination ceiling grid and partition receiver

ABSTRACT

A CEILING GRID WHICH IS ALSO UNABLE AS A PARTITION RECEIVER. THE CEILING GRID HAS LATERALLY OUTWARDLY ENTENDING FLANGE PORTIONS ADAPTED TO MARGINALLY SUPPORT CEILING PANELS. IT ALSO HAS AN ELONGATED T-SHAPED SLOT OPEN THE BOTTOM FOR RECEIVING FASTENING MEANS ADAPTED MOUNT A PARTITION HEADER.

NOV. 16, 1971 w, w o pso 3,619,960

COMBINATION CEILING GRID AND PARTITION RECEIVER Filed Nov. 4, 1969 2 Sheets-$11001; l

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COMBINATION CEILING GRID AND PARTITION RECEIVER Filed Nov. 4, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheot 2 F'IG.5

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INVENTOR. M41723? w. THOMPSON ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,619,960 COMBINATION CEILING GRID AND PARTITION RECEIVER Walter W. Thompson, P.O. Box 627, Hazlehurst, Ga. 31539 Filed Nov. 4, 1969, Ser. No. 873,880 Int. Cl. E041 13/00; E04b /52 US. Cl. 52-241 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A ceiling grid which is also useable as a partition receiver. The ceiling grid has laterally outwardly extending flange portions adapted to marginally support ceiling panels. It also has an elongated T-shaped slot open at the bottom for receiving fastening means adapted to mount a partition header.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One object of this invention is to provide an improved ceiling grid that is also useable as a partition receiver.

Another object is to provide a ceiling grid of generally inverted T section having laterally outwardly extending flange portions adapted to marginally support ceiling panels, the stem portion of the T section having an elongated T-shaped slot open at the bottom to receive fastening means for mounting a partition header.

Another object is to provide fastening means for mounting a partition header to the grid comprising an elongated cam bar adapted to enter the slot from the bottom and to lock in the upper enlarged portion of the slot.

Another object is to provide a fastening means comprising an elongated cam bar which is narrower than the lower portion of the slot so as to freely enter the slot from the bottom, and which locks in the upper portion of the slot when turned crosswise thereof.

Another object is to provide the cam bar with beveled ends adapted for substantially full surface contact with the sides of the upper portion of the slot when turned to an acute angle crosswise thereof in locking position.

Another object is to provide improved hanger means for suspending the grid.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds especially when considered with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a ceiling as viewed from below showing a plurality of ceiling panels marginally supported by crossing ceiling grids, all in accordance with my invention.

FIG. 2. is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1 and showing a partition header secured to the grid.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line '33 of FIG. 2, showing one of the cam bars in locked position and another cam bar in unlocked position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the fastening means including the cam bar employed to attach the partition header to the grid.

FIG. 5 illustrates a modification.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the modified grid shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the hanger employed in FIG. 5.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and especially to FIGS 14 thereof, a ceiling is fragmentarily shown in FIG. 1 composed of spaced crossing grid members arranged in right angle relation to one 3,619,960 Patented Nov. 16, 1971 another to provide a plurality of open rectangular spaces in which are received the ceiling tiles or panels 12. The grid members 10 are secured to one another at the points of crossing in any suitable manner as indicated diagrammatically at 13. Preferably the grid members extending in one direction are long members which are suspended from overhead support structure, and the grid members extending crosswise of the long members are short members terminally secured to the long members.

The ceiling grid members have the cross section shown in FIG. 2. As there seen, the ceiling grids are of generally inverted T cross section and formed of sheet metal. The upright stem portion of the inverted T section grid member is generally designated 14 and the horizontal flange portions thereof are generally designated 16.

The stem portion of the grid member is itself in the form of a T-shaped channel and defines an elongated T-shaped slot 18 which is open at the bottom of the grid. The slot 18 has the narrow lower portion 20 and the wide upper portion 22. The sides 24 of the narrow portion of the slot terminate at their lower ends in the laterally outwardly extending flange portions 16. The laterally outer ends of the flange portions 16 are return bent and folded over upon themselves as shown in FIG. 2 to add strength to the construction.

The edge portions of the panels 12 are rnargnially supported upon the flange portions 16 of the grids as shown in FIG. 2. The ceiling panels may have heat and sound insulating properties, if desired.

A partition P includes an elongated partition header 26 and panels 40. The elongated partition header 26 is of the inverted channel-shaped form shown in FIG. 2 and is bolted to a grid 10 by suitable fastening means generally indicated at 28. The header 26 provides the upper support for the panels 40 adapted to extend from the grid to the floor and divide the interior space beneath the ceiling structure into compartments or rooms.

The header may be of any suitable construction, but in the specific arrangement shown in FIG. 2, the header is shown as being in the form of an elongated inverted channel having a pair of vertically downwardly extending side flanges 32 and a base 34. The lower edges of the side flanges 32 extend laterally outwardly as indicated at 36, and terminate in vertically upstanding flanges 38.

The partition P, as stated, includes in the present instance a pair of panels 40 which may be of any suitable construction and are shown as being hollow so that they may be filled with a suitable acoustical material, for example. The panels are provided with upwardly extending flanges 42 disposed respectively alongside the upstanding flanges 38 of the header 26. The flanges 38 provide the top guide tracks for the panels 40 of the partition. Inverted, flexible, resilient U-shaped clips 44 may be snapped over the flanges 38 and 42 to hold the flanges in contact, and trim strip members 46 may be provided having inverted channel-shaped portions 48 for concealing the flanges 38 and 42 and the clips 44. The lower edges of the panels 40 of the partition will be supported in any suitable manner.

The fastening means 28 includes a plurality of cam bars 60 and screws 62. The cam bars 60 are elongated members preferably of the parallelogram form shown. The cam bars 60 are narrower than the lower portion 20 of slot 18, that is the width of each cam bar is less than the distance between the sides 24 forming the lower portion of the slot. The cam bars when disposed lengthwise of the slot as in FIG. 3 may be introduced upwardly into the slot and disposed in the upper enlarged portion 22 thereof. The length of the cam bars 60 is greater than the width of the upper portion 22 of the slot as seen in FIG. 3. However, the ends 64 of the cam bar are beveled so as to be parallel to one another and to have substantially full surface-to-surface contact with the opposite side walls 66 defining the sides of the upper portion 22 of the slot. The screws 62 pass through the base of the header and thread into central tapped holes in the cam bars.

In order to attach a header 26 to a grid member, it is only necessary to push the screws through the holes in the header and thread the cam bars on the ends of the screws. The cam bars when oriented lengthwise of the slot 18 in the grid may be passed upwardly into the slot and then when the screws are tightened by rotation in a clockwise direction, the cam bars likewise turn clockwise as viewed in FIG. 3 so as to extend crosswise at an acute angle in the upper portion of the slot with the bar ends 64 in surface contact with the side walls 66 of the slot. Continued tightening of the screws secures the header to the grid member against the flange portions 16 thereof.

FIG. shows a grid member a of a modified construction in which the flange portions 16 terminate in upwardly extending portions 70. As there shown, the edges of the panels 12a may be provided with downwardly opening hook portions 72 adapted to hook over the terminal portions 70 of the grid member. Otherwise the grid 10a is of the same construction as the grid 10 and may have a partition header secured to it by fastening means 28 in the same manner as previously described.

Hanger means are provided for suspending the grid 10a from a permanent overhead ceiling structure. The hanger means includes a plurality of hangers one of which is shown at 80. Each hanger comprises a pair of plates 82 which are substantially flat except at their lower ends where they are formed to provide generally U-shaped channels 84 opening horizontally toward one another. The channels 84 are adapted to extend around opposite sides of the upper enlarged portion of the stem 14 in the manner shown in FIG. 5 to support the grid member 10a. In the assembled position of the plates 82, they are disposed in surface-to-surface contact as shown in FIG. 5.

Each plate has a bendable tab 86 and a slot 88. The tab 86 of each plate is opposite the slot 88 in the other plate. Hence when the plates are pressed together in surface-to-surface relation with the tabs extending at right angles to the plates, the tabs will extend through the aligned slots and then may be folded over as indicated in FIG. 5 to removably secure the plates together. Obviously the plates may be taken apart to release the grid by unfolding the tabs and removing them from the slots.

A cord 90 suspends each bracket 80 from the overhead supporting structure.

Obviously, hangers 80 and cords 90 may also be used to suspend the grid member 10 in FIGS. 1-4.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A suspended ceiling system and partition for dividing an interior space beneath the ceiling system into compartments or rooms, comprising ceiling panels, elongated grid members, means supporting said grid members in spaced relation to each other, said grid members supporting said panels along the edges thereof, one of said grid members being a sheet metal member in the form of an elongated inverted channel of generally T-shape open at the bottom and having integral flanges extending laterally outwardly from the lower ends of the sides of said channel, the marginal edge portions of adjacent panels being supported on said flanges, said partition including an elongated partition header beneath said one grid member, and fastening means removably securing said partition header to said one grid member, said fastening means comprising an elongated bar, said channel having a lower portion of a width greater than the width of said bar but less than the length thereof so that said bar can be introduced into said channel through the open bottom thereof when disposed lengthwise of said slot, said channel having an upper portion of greater width than said lower portion to retain said bar when the latter is turned crosswise thereof, and a stud threadedly engaging said bar and depending therefrom through the open bottom of said channel and clamping said partition header to said fianges of said one grid member.

2. The suspended ceiling system and partition defined in claim 1, wherein said header is in the form of an elongated inverted channel having a base and spaced side flanges depending from said base and turned up at their lower ends to provide terminal upwardly extending flanges, said stud passing through a hole in said base and having a head at its lower end bearing upwardly thereagainst to clamp said base tightly against said flanges of said one grid member, said partition including a pair of laterally spaced panels having upwardly extending flanges alongside said upwardly extending flanges of said header, and clips connecting said upwardly extending flanges of said panels to said upwardly extending flanges of said header.

3. The suspended ceiling system and partition defined in claim 2, wherein trim strips are provided having means for covering said clips and said upwardly extending flanges of said panels and said header.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 849,817 4/1907 Smith 52710 2,349,158 5/1944 Fowles et al 52584 2,676,680 4/1954 Kindorf 5271O 3,067,323 12/1962 Kember 52241 3,378,977 4/1968 Veryloet 52238 3,395,504 8/1968 Zwickert 52241 HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner J. L. RIDGILL, JR., Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 52284, 484 

